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Some weather models have the remains of Hurricane Joaquin as a large Atlantic depression that could swing across the UK during the weekend 10th October

Leon Brown, forecaster for the Weather Channel UK

Worried UK-based forecasters say the churning vortex - which threatens to rival 2012’s Superstorm Sandy and 2003’s Hurricane Isabel - WILL make a beeline for Britain.

Current weather models predict Joaquin will sweep northeastwards before raging across the Atlantic, reaching the west of the British Isles on or around October 10.

REUTERS

A motorcyclist rides through floodwaters in South Carolina

NASA

This stunning image shows Hurricane Joaquin from the International Space Station

Experts said the weather forecast for Britain late next week now 'depends entirely' on the track of the hurricane.

Leon Brown, forecaster for the Weather Channel UK, said: "The latest forecasts suggest it will run near the US east coast and past Newfoundland so arriving to our west as a large low pressure system at the end of next week and over next weekend."

REUTERS

A man fights his way through flooding in South Carolina

NOAA

The latest projections show Hurricane Joaquin missing the US and turning east towards the UK

The storm shows worrying similarities to Hurricane Bertha which charged across the Atlantic to batter Britain after mauling the US last summer.

Widespread and severe floods forced hundreds of people from their homes and sparked travel mayhem across the UK.

Violent sea conditions led to the death of one man while high inland winds felled trees, closed roads and disrupted railways.

NASA

This image of Hurricane Joaquin seen from space shows the sheer scale of the developing superstorm

Mike Smith, senior vice president and chief innovation executive of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions, warned damage from the storm still had the potential to be “catastrophic” across America, despite it's changing course.

He said: "There is going to be catastrophic flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and this is going to disrupt the economy regardless of whether or not Hurricane Joaquin makes landfall.

“Joaquin will deliver beach erosion, coastal flooding, inland flooding from heavy rain and stiff winds near the coast, prior to its arrival more than 100 miles away from the point of any landfall.

“Exactly where Joaquin comes ashore and how strong it is at landfall will determine the severity of the conditions."

NASA

Joaquin is seen approaching the Bahamas in this satellite image

REUTERS

Volunteers shore up a shop front with sandbags before the hurricane hits

REUTERS

A road closed by flooding from Hurricane Joaquin

The enormous vortex began to flex its full muscles today causing widespread flooding across the eastern USA.

A huge search and rescue operation was under way for the crew of a US cargo ship today which is feared to have been overcome by the ferocious vortex in the Bermuda Triangle.

Hurricane Joaquin has cause thundering 20ft high seas in the area, and the vessel has not been heard from since it issued a distress call in the early hours stating that it had lost power and was taking on water.

The El Faro had 33 crew members on board including 28 Americans, all of whose fates are unkown.

Coast Guard chief Ryan Doss said: "The storm is so bad and slow moving it's hard for our planes to get low enough to inspect the surface of the water."

Officials in Carolina, which has been hit hardest by the flooding so far and is braced to be deluged with an astonishing 12 inches of rain this weekend, described the storm as a "historic, potentially life-threatening rainfall event".

After wreaking havoc across American the hurricane is expected to make its way across the Atlantic towards Britain, unleashing heavy rain and winds of more than 50mph on the west of England and Wales.

AP

The storm is heading towards the UK across the Atlantic

Experts say that Hurricane Joaquin is set to be as big and as deadly as any superstorm in recent years.

Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012 unleashing floods and catastrophic winds across the US.

In September 2003 Hurricane Isabel hurled itself across the country killing 16 people and causing billions of pounds worth of damage.

Neither had a direct impact on the UK although forecasters warn Joaquin may take a more easterly track and head towards British shores.

Mr Smith added: “The impact from Joaquin, assuming it makes landfall, could be similar to either Sandy or Isabel or perhaps a blend of the two.

“There will be impacts. This includes the potential for flooding, downed trees, property damage and power outages.

“In terms of loss of life or injury, be sure to heed warnings and orders as soon as they are issued.

Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane Joaquin, one of the largest superstorms ever recorded, is raging across the Atlantic Ocean towards Britain

A spokesman for the National Hurricane Centre said: “A broad area of low pressure associated with an old frontal zone is centred over the central Atlantic more than 600 miles southeast of Bermuda.

“This system is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms, and environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for a tropical depression to form by the weekend while the low moves slowly northwestward to northward.”

The United States is on alert for severe floods over the next 48 hours with up to 20 inches of rain and “dangerous storm surges” forecast.

A spokesman for local weather service Weather Underground said: “Sustained winds up to 140 mph are forecast, with gusts to 165 mph.

“Even well-built homes may lose their roofs and even experience failure of one or more exterior walls.